Review Symonds Indian - Auckland Central

Rudy Sage

Price was good. Had two full meals, several sides and a large bottle of sparkly and paid $89. Food was well presented and tasted authentic. Loved the Vindaloo spices. Great atmosphere and friendly staff. Busy little place so you have to patient for service. One thing I found should not be done is serve a cold drink in glasses that have just come out of the dishwasher which are still hot.

Kelv

Good Indian is always hard to find as it can sometimes cater for the Western Market. But this place was authentic and fantastic. The service is good and friendly. The prices are reasonable. The food is excellent. I have been here a few times and it never fails to disappoint. There is some great Indian in Auckland including some fusion places. But this is the best for straight up Indian.

David Palfreyman

Quiet on the evening we visited the staff were friendly and attentive, no hassle even though it was just a quick visit and we only ordered one dish to share didn't bother them and they came out with the food quick smart. Delicious butter chicken ha! Yes we ordered this most typical Indian dish... and not disappointed. Success! Succulent and flavoursome. Will visit again.

Geoff Wilson

I think it's the high price that's kept me from eating here before despite living around the corner, BUT it's worth it. Friendly table and counter service. Huge menu. Nice interior decor and elegant seating too, perfect for a date night. Got the Rogan Josh bc I wanted something a little more spicy than a medium level, but they'll still ask you how spicy do you want it. Brought a pitcher of water to my table. Tuesday night at 730pm also apparently is a busy time bc the place just got 100% packed. They'll do takeaway as well. Enjoy!

Jessica Reign

Great time shared by me and my friend's here. The food was really great, amazing butter chicken, and a great mix of spices. Will definitely come back again, and the staff were great, friendly and the food came fast.

Jimmy Batchelor

Reliably delicious food, the heat varies at times but I've always enjoyed my meals here.

Abhijeet Kale

If your from India, or love Indian food. This is a place to go. Specially if you love Chicken Biryani. They also have delicious Indian desserts like Gulab jamun, rasmali... 😋

Harman Singh

Amazing food. Nice hospitality. Nice customer service. A must visit. ❤

Renata Grant

Had a wonderful experience at this restaurant! Staff was so friendly and helpful as we aren't locals, the food was amazing best Indian food we had ever tasted. You could taste the spices (not cream or tomato paste) in curries, Naan was cooked perfectly, it absolutely impressed all of our family including fussy teenage kids. Worth every cent 👌 Would definitely go back. Happy Gisborne family.

Adam Kecskes

The food was amazing. We shared three curries and each one was equally good. Excellent price point. Service a little lackluster, though. "Medium-hot" was not really that hot; I think they err on the side of mild with their levels.

Arianaaa

Came here for a friends birthday, quaint little shop. Food was decent and decently priced. Nothing really stand out for me, but good service!

Joseph Smith

Amazing menu, delicious food and inviting staff. This quaint restaurant has more to offer than meets the eye - it is sure to surprise! The value for money is incredible, but don't expect any glits and glam. What you can expect is a warm welcome from the owner Arun who takes immense pride in his work, as well as, some seriously good tucker!

Keegan Fepuleai

This was the worst butter chicken i've ever had. It literally only tasted of butter. There was no element of curry to it. Very strange. I hope it was just a mistake

Erin - Gold Code For 20% Off : CATH6386

Good lunch deal with lunch combo where you can get naan rice and curry (except seafood) for $10.. butter chicken and chicken tikka masala were really delicious and nice.. one new lunch options for me and friends now

Rahul Bannai

Right below my home. Whenever I feel lazy after work, this is my go to place for dinner. Reasonably priced and tasty food. One you should try their Paneer Vindaloo they spiciest one, damn it blew my mind.

Vincent Warner

So we had food within 15 mins. But it was the single worst curry I've ever had in my life. I've had better curries made by half comatose alcoholics. I've had curries in Germany from a dude named Gunter that have tasted better than this. Seriously, my god, I took a photo of the naan bread which was about half the size I'm used to seeing which was literally the best thing about the meal. I wish I could say something good but why bother, these guys obviously aren't bothered about making good food so... I won't bother trying to say something good about them. If you want curry go literally anywhere else.

Jackson Jose

Indian food. The best part are the fresh Rottis. But the masala for 95% of the dishes are the same. The Manager himself told that to us. So most of the food tastes the same. Would enjoy it the first time. But definitely not on a regular basis. Service is great. But there is way too much food colour in the masala and it takes 2 days to wash it off from your hand. That’s a major drawback for me. 6/10

Niamh Slattery

Fantastic byo dinner with friends. While it's not much to look at this is a fantastic tactic place. Great food, superb staff no complaints only that I wish the portions were bigger. Cannot wait to go back

Acacia.barnes

Symonds Indian holds a very special place in my heart, along with my family and friends who also adore this delicious restaurant. It's our go to for birthdays, get togethers or just general catch ups or takeaways. Arun, Krishna and staff are the most accommodating people, and also have the best service. Their food is so delicious, we have at times driven from Helensville to the city just for take aways, on a cold winters night. Chicken Nawabi, Chicken Tikka Masala, Butter Prawns & Sumandari Toofan are some of our favourites to name a few. If you haven't had any luck with Indian cuisine in Auckland give this place a go. You will not be disappointed!

Angelina Lee

Service was fast and the man was really lovely. Spicy pickle is off the chain and so is the naan. Easy to walk past as the outside looks relatively plain but the curries are made with lots of love I can tell.

NYNB

THE BEST INDIAN FOOD EVER. I took a break from indian food in 2014/2015 and am beyond happy I tried this place out first when I was finally able to eat it again. I've never dined in as my best friend and I always prefer to get takeaway from here. I've tried a few of their curries, but my favourite is still definitely the Chicken Tikka Masala. All the curries I've tried are creamy - chicken nawabi, madras, butter chicken, tikka masala and balti. They're a bit on the oilier side (and is extremely noticeable especially if you reheat it). There's decently sized chunks of chicken in it and a decent amount as well. The size of the rice matches the size of the curry, so you're never left with more curry or rice. The rice is mixed with cumin seeds so it gives the rice a nice fragrant spice! Their naan/garlic naan bread tastes fresh every time I've had it and is decently sized but it occasionally tastes doughy. I love how friendly the owner is and every time I call, him/his staff remember me. They have different levels of spice which I love - mild, medium & spicy; kiwi and indian variations. He's very generous and gives me an extra container of chilli on the side for free! Try their Monday-Wednesday special where you get curry, rice and a naan for $10! (NOTE: it is a half size curry and rice compared to their dinner size). I once ordered and didn't realise they had this special on and the chef included the naan in my meal when I picked it up.

Kiwi Eats Asia

Came here for dinner with some friends. Really lovely service from these guys :) the lamb nawabi which was delicious and creamy. Their rice was spiced and really nice. The naan was quite small and lightly cooked - not my favourite. I found some of the dishes to be a bit too salty for my liking. The prices are quite high for dinner but there are some really good lunch specials here it seems - worth checking out for lunch!

Tommy Ocean

I've been here multiple times now and have had a consistently high level of customer service. Pleasant, well spoken, easy to understand customer service. In terms of food quality, it's tasty for sure but the customer service sets this place apart. I highly recommend.

Gregory Scaddenski

There's a lot of Indian restaurants in Auckland, but after trying this place, we don't go anywhere for Indian but here now. Each time we've taken friends and/or family along with us, they always make the same remark - Best Indian I've ever had!

Rebecca

I'm very happy with the meal I had here. We ordered the chicken kolhapuri and lamb nawabi, along with a mango lassi and cheese naan. I really recommend the kolhapuri. The rice was DELICIOUS! It was buttery with cumin seeds. Mm. Best rice I've had at an Indian restaurant. The service was some of best I've had too - super big smiles and fastest time taken to get meals out. Thank you :)

Chloeeatsitall

This is hands down our favorite Indian. We will eat nowhere else. We eat from here about once a week. Owners are so smiley and friendly. Their rice is so fragrant with ghee and cumin. Bajji is so tasty. And every curry - well can't get enough - cheese naan - you must try. Aroons special is my favorite !!

Foooood

All the good reviews on Zomato made us pay a visit here. I liked the quiet vibe of the restaurant and their friendly service. The cheese naan was really good, it was kind of like a pizza with so much cheese inside. Yunmy! But the curries were just average. The spicy butter chicken wasn't spicy and the chicken tikka masala didn't have much onion and capsicum like it should.

Rachel Roberts

May of been a bad night but ordered takeaway from here recently and was a bit disappointed. I ordered a veg curry and naan. It was quite liquidy with little flavor. Based on the other comments I am hoping I just ordered wrong but not in a huge rush to go back.

Anupam Singh

My favourite Indian restaurant period. Excellent service, food has been consistent for the last 3yrs that I have been going here. Ask for the tandoori chicken for entree and Arun's Specials for the mains you won't be disappointed!

Hannah Gear

Went here for lunch today. Great $9 lunch special which includes curry, rice and naan. I have the Bombay Aloo and my friend had the lamb Rogan Josh. Service was fast and friendly and the food was very good for the price you pay. Nice little addition was cumin seeds in the rice!

James Lo

Best indian food I've had I'm a while. Came here with a groupon voucher and was very impressed by the food. The entrees were amazing maybe even better than the mains had the cheese and the pork. Only downside is that the interior design is a bit lacking and could do with a lot more decorations to make it feel more homey. Loved their flavoured rice and seafood curry. Could tell they were trying to make it look fancy but the plating was a bit old in style and could be improved. Taste wise 9/10

WeiTing Ashley Shyu

We had a blast at Symonds Indian. The service was INCREDIBLE! We were all raving about how attentive, helpful and kind our waiter was. The food was pretty good too! For my entree we had 2 pieces of cottage cheese and 2 pieces of chicken. Both items were incredible and a 5/5 in my book. I loved the butter chicken sauce and my Palak Paneer main was delicious too. In my opinion, the entrees outshined the mains. Maybe, I should have gone with butter chicken! One thing we all found interesting was the added cardamom in the rice. "Wow! The rice is so good" was repeated around the table. The rice was fragrant and soft. Price isn't too bad either! We would recommend this for group dinners. The service was just perfect.

Ryan

The best Indian we've had so far in Auckland. Prawn Balti was fantastic, large prawns with a lot of depth and flavour in the sauce. Naan was good, slightly chewy and buttery. The rice was simple but done so well with subtle cardamom flavours. Only complaint is we chose a quiet weeknight to eat and ended up being the only people dining in. Being a small place, it was a bit hard to relax with the close proximity of the attentive staff. Would go at a busier time.

Munira Tankiwala

We dined here on a week night to celebrate Mum's birthday in a large group of 8. The food was outstanding and we were all very happy with our choices - each dish tasted different to the next, and special mention for the generous and perfectly tender king prawns in my Prawns Balti. We were made to feel welcome from the time we entered to the time we left and the friendly service was exceptional. They were also happy to serve a cake brought in by my sister, with Happy Birthday sung by staff as they brought it to the table. All in all, it was a good night and we will be back.

Kp Food Reviewer 2000

so basically my boyfriend has talked about this place for over a year and hyped it up so much so we finally decided to go and LADIES N GENTS we have a winner eh ... best indian in town we ordered so many dishes, and they were all delicious and all tasted completely different. i find it at some places its easy for curries to taste similar but nope did not encounter this issue. originally i ordered the chicken korma but the bloody amazing waiter was like hey i bet you get that all the time (guilty) why dont you try something a little different and so i did (i got the chicken nawabi) and bloody masterchef dish i tell ya. we also got a saagwalla,a runs special,vinadaloo,vegetable jalfreezi, mango paneer, i tried them all and they were SO GOOD apart from the vindaloo cause it was HOT and i decided to be weak as hell. the waiters were super nice and remembered our massive order without a pen and paper and the house wine was a great drop to accompany the meal. overall i would go here everything if i was gonna get indian. my new local thats not local at all. OH also got a few entree and the onion bajis are bloody divine and so is the mixed platter for two.

FeedersUnited

Don't let the quiet turn you away. I'm a huge critic of Indian food this place is so tasty OMG. Had the vege korma and paneer, so good.

Folcarelli Stephen

Have visited venue many times and have always been pleased with the quality and quantity of food. Arun the owner makes sure customers are happy, with his excellent manner and great service. Its a small but excellent little venue for a great meal. Venue does Home deliveries as well. Well Done.

Vaidyanathan Balasubramanian

A good place to have your lunch, but truth be told i am not a big fan of most of the Indian restaurant's in New Zealand. The taste is different from actual Indian food and if it pleases the target audience who are Kiwi's then thumbs up for their efforts. All in all a good place to hang out with your colleagues.

FoodiePhysician

This place is one of our favourite go to places for some takeaway indian food - we always have the chicken vindaloo and a rich alternative curry. Beware the chicken vindaloo is, as the store person puts it, "indian spicy times three." It is equally addictive as it is scorchingly spicy; if you are spice intolerant, you will experience pain twice over. Nonetheless, we always go back for more and would recommend to anyone. Price is decent at $34 for two curries and a naan bread. 3.5 Yums.

Amanda Corlett

We came here after buying a deal on Groupon the restaurant is quite small and they were quite busy but the service was excellent and the food is delicious we are looking forward to coming here again

Jase Richards

Greeted by a friendly gentleman who was more than happy to help go through the menu with me to find something suitable for my vegan diet. Affordable and quick. The only downside is the decor. I'd get takeaways again for sure but I don't think I'd dine in there.

Amir Bashir

Best Indian restaurant in town hands down. Friendly staff, great food and great atmosphere! And yes great price as well. Not much to say just go and check it out.

Astrid

This place is awesome. I go there once every few weeks. The service is warm and friendly (as is the décor) and the food is delicious! I especially love the cheesy garlic naan and butter chicken. Probably pretty heavy on the calories but well worth the gym session! I have had several other dishes on the menu and they were all flawless too. It is great how it is byo too so I can have a relatively inexpensive date night out with they boyfriend (he loves this place too). Really glad to have this as my local.

Maria

Ate here a couple of months ago when they were doing a voucher deal. The food was good and the service friendly, I would recommend this place and would go again. Had the "extremely hot" paneer vindaloo and, I gotta say, it was pretty hot! If you are after a really spicy curry give that one a try.

P L

Staff were fantastic: very friendly and provided excellent customer service. Portion sizes were also very good + flavours were unique and strong (even through a bit on the spicy side for me but this is due to personal taste). Will be back to try milder dishes!

RaeRae Johnson

Second time we've been and we were greeted warmly by the owners who remembered us - even though it had been 3 months since we'd last been. The food is very good and although I wouldn't say it was 'the best' Indian food I have had, it definitely ranks up there. They put a real effort into serving food with a difference, and the service is first-rate, so for this reason I have given them a 5-star rating. We had a great night, and even though it is a fair hike for those of us in our party, the convenient parking, the great food and the excellent service make this a place we'll definitely try and visit again.

Tayla Jade

This place is amazing! I've had a lot of indian food from various restaurants and always been satisfied, but after dining here i don't think i'll be able to settle for anything less! i didn't know what i was missing out on! Delicious food. When i was here i over heard another tables customer raving about how particular she was about curry and this was perfect! The owner is very kind and sincere, takes his time to help you select the right meal for you to enjoy. Would highly recommend this to anyone. Best curry ever!

Hayley Atkins

We dined at Symonds Indian for a relatives birthday recently and have nothing but praise for the place. First we arrived pretty early just after the restaurant had opened for the day but the staff were extremely friendly and attentive and the restaurant was spotlessly clean - and warm which was nice considering the weather. I can easily say this is one of the best Indian restaurants I have ever eaten at. The manager was taking our orders and personally recommending food for each guest and they were extremely accomodating of one guest who has severe food allergies. The food is just immaculate - the naan bread was freshly made and not chewy and the rice accompaniment just perfect and the prices more than affordable. My partner and I are already planning on taking more of our friends there, and this is actually the first review I've ever written for a restaurant but it was just that good! Symonds Indian ticks every box of what a great restaurant experience should be.

Chun Kit Wong

Hi, This place is awesome. My daughter and I ordered a butter chicken and a seafood Toofan. The dishes were amazing, especially the seafood Toofan. The service was also excellent and the staff were very polite. The restaurant atmosphere was also great and I especially liked the background music. My daughter is a very fussy indian food eater and she said she wanted to go back to Symond Indian again.

Marshall Basham

STOP! This Indian food is addictive. I recommend you take your own bottle of wine, have the paneer and chicken tikka starters and finish with the Aruns Beef and Butter Chicken mains with the garlic naan. Even the side of rice that comes with it is addictive. You will never be satisfied with Indian food anywhere else after eating here.

Food Reviews

Went here for the fourth time tonight and I have been meaning to write a review for a while. Hands down the best Indian I have ever had and the service is always amazing! I would highly recommend to anyone!

Anthony MacLean

Not much to look at, and a little spartan inside, this place is a real find. Probably the second best Indian curry I have had in Auckland. Spicy, full of flavour and aroma. Good value too, and friendly efficient service. To put this into context, I go for a curry once a month and have done for 10 years in Auckland, trying out new and old favourites. This place shines. It's just a shame it feels like a cafe... Been here 4 times now over last 18 months and it's never missed a beat. Highly recommended.

Shak

I'm an Indian and have been exploring the Indian restaurant scene in the cbd. If you are looking for an authentic Indian dining experience at an affordable price, this is the perfect place for a family or friends get together. The food and service here has been the best I've had to date within the cbd. Be sure to try the Taj beer as well.

Steve Ward

Me and my partner went to use our deal voucher there and were worried that we wouldn't be treated well because we were using a voucher... OMG, I couldn't believe it, that was probably the best service I have ever had in Auckland.. and the food? OMG, the food was beyond amazing. Next time I'm in the city, that's my dinner planned. LUV IT

Deborah Goulding

A group of four, we tried Symonds Indian for the first time last night using "all you can eat" vouchers. From the moment we walked in we were warmly welcomed, met with a smile and offered our choice of table. We were very impressed with the vegetarian range (3 of us 'vegies') and thoroughly enjoyed the dishes we ordered-all very tasty with lots of flavour. The other member of our party had the Prawn Masala which was excellent also. We loved the cheese and garlic naan and the rice was divine. Our hosts were very friendly and helpful and the restaurant was clean and fresh (the toilet facilities were of a high standard also). We had a 10/10 dining experience-we will be back to enjoy again and highly recommend to all. Thank you for your hospitality, excellent service and delicious food!

Courtenay White

It's hard to fault Symonds Indian. They're always incredibly polite and efficient and the food is always fresh and delicious. Definitely a new favourite!

Amy Hunt

Symonds Indian is our absolute favourite, we regularly drive into the city to savour the amazing dishes made by Arun and his team. The dishes have a real difference to them, even the rice is like no other we have tried. This is our favourite Indian Restaurant by far and we highly recommend their food and friendly service. Thanks for another amazing meal we look forward to our next.

Jyim001

I went to Symonds Indian for dinner on Saturday 9 March 2013 with a friend, and we used a voucher for all you can eat curries for two people with rice and a naan bread each. Between the two of us we tried the butter prawns, chicken kholapuri and a huge portion of mixed seafood curry with rice (I forget the name). The naans were fresh and hot, and the curries were delicious. The waiter was most helpful with his suggestions and all other staff were friendly and smiley. We had a lovely leisurely dinner and enjoyed ourselves thoroughly. I would definitely recommend this place to others.

Sharleen

Being Indian myself, I was not a fan of eating out at Indian Restaurants (we eat it at home!). I had tried a certain franchise that shall not be named before and it was not great at all. I gave Symond's Indian a shot and I'm glad I did! Their curries are delicious and full of flavour, with my personal favourites being the Lamb Nawabi and Palak Aloo. Along with friendly and helpful staff, this place is definitely my favourite hands down! Highly recommended :)

Bonsai

Perhaps it was a bad day, but my first meal at Symonds Indian did not make me want to try again. We ordered takeaways - two vegetarian curries - and both were almost tasteless. For the first time in my life I have had to add chilli to Indian food to give it something - ANYTHING - resembling flavour. Disappointing. Edited to add: Thanks Arun for responding. We always order Medium or Hot, so it wasn't the lack of heat that was a problem, rather the lack of flavour. But we have had several friends recommend your restaurant so we will try again and I would be more than happy to update the review. Edited again: I did go back as promised, and the food was much better this time. Still not going to be my favourite as I'm not a fan of the way the rice is served (with cumin seeds - I just don't like whole spices), but the service was excellent.

Jonjon

I talked with the manager, and he was a very nice guy and took his time to explain to me his life and cuisine. I was told that he takes cooking quite seriously and doesn't do mediocre curry and he was right, The curries here you can actually see the difference spices used and vegetables in the sauce, rather than it being just a plain sauce like all other curry places The rice is also done just right so it was fluffy and light. Yeah it's a very nice place to visit, I came with a voucher and ordered vegetarian stuffs

Kim

So glad to have found the famous ARUN again, we had many a beautiful meal when he was in Orewa - and the food and service was as great as it always was! Fantastic curries, naans, and the friendliest service you could want.

Ajay Vagha

This is the BEST little Indian restaurants in town. The food is extremely tasty and always reliably so. The service and friendliness of the owners makes you fell so at home and relaxed. You can get all your normal Indian regular curry's, but the thing that sets this place apart from others is that they have these oddball left field dishes that other places don't have - Ginger Paneer(or chicken) is my favourite - so much flavour. But essentially everything is good here! Support these good people, and they;ll reward you with the best Indian you have ever tasted! Honest injun! try it....

Andrew Cochrane

Without a doubt the best Indian food I have ever found. It is always consistent, the service is outstanding and it is priced very fairly. I would highly recommend to anyone who loves Indian food!!!

Daniel Payne

As always it was an amazing meal,had butter chicken and the special curry with the cheese and garlic naans which are the best!!definately the place to enjoy a great curry.Thanks Arun

Akshat

Went there for lunch. The lunch deal is really a good bang for your buck. And the food tastes like something I would expect at a nice restaurant back in India. A must go for any Indian looking for authentic North Indian food.

Bruce Turner

Small restaurant with great food. Really friendly team including the chef who often comes out of the kitchen. This place will NOT break the bank and their curries are some of the best around. Ask them when Mamma will next be cooking something & make sure you book that in!